January 22, 2011

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Istanbul __Western diplomats said they were disappointed after two days of nuclear talks with Iran ended at an impasse Saturday.

“This is not the conclusion we had hoped for,” European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told journalists in Istanbul Saturday at the conclusion of the talks. “We had hoped to embark on practical ways forward. I am disappointed to say this has not been possible.”

“There are no [further] talks planned at the present time,” Ashton continued, adding, however, that “our door remains open, our telephone lines are open, and we hope that Iran considers our proposals and responds. If they do, then we can move forward and have further discussions.”

Diplomats said that Iranian negotiators appeared to have come to Istanbul with instructions to get two preconditions met as a basis for further talks, namely recognition of Iran’s right to enrich, and the lifting of sanctions at the beginning of negotiations. Western officials said it was predictable that Iran would try to probe for fissures among the international negotiating group by laying out such demands, but insisted that Iran did not find any.

We are "disappointed, but I would not honestly say it’s unexpected," a senior U.S. administration official told journalists Saturday. "The Iranians are notoriously tough negotiators. There was bound to be a serious test of international resolve."

"I think it remains to be seen whether the Iranians are serious about engaging in practical steps to get from where we are," the senior U.S. official continued. "And I don't think [we are going to figure that out} in one or two meetings. I think there is still time to test that."

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, echoed in a lengthy press conference Saturday the Iranian positions that diplomats said had brought international negotiations to a standstill for now.

“We must be respectful of the rights of nations,” Jalili, Secretary of Iran’s National Security Council, said through a translator. “That is very basic. If any dialogue is to develop, to behave in the wrong manner, to pay disregard to human rights, will be just a strain away from a common logic."

“The rights of members of the [nuclear non-proliferation treaty] should be officially declared and stated,” Jalili continued. “These are necessary if talks are to be carried out on these issues. These are not preconditions, it is a most positive and basic step.”

Earlier Saturday, diplomats said that Iranian negotiators had initially insisted on the preconditions in meetings with world powers Friday, but later seemed to withdraw the demands after the international group made clear they were a "non-starter," as one western official put it.

But the Iranian demands, presented in the context of a "logical" or strategic framework for moving forward, made their way back into two hours of talks Saturday morning, Ashton said.

Talks with Iranian negotiators were proving such a “waste of time” Friday, another senior Western diplomat told POLITICO Saturday morning, that “by the evening, we were going to quit.”

“But as happens when buying a carpet, it’s the moment one leaves the shop that they came back and dropped their previous preconditions,” the diplomat said. There was a “kind of a flash of understanding,” on the Iranian side, he added, that the international group was prepared to walk away.”

Diplomats said they were also dismayed by the fact that after morning plenary talks Friday, Iran’s negotiating team broke for prayers at noon and did not return until 3 p.m., with Jalili apparently complaining of a headache. The Iranians also resisted Ashton's encouragement to meet with the American negotiating team, led by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Bill Burns. (The Americans, for their part, said they were not so concerned about whether there was a U.S.-Iranian bilateral meeting.)

"There seems to be a gap in understanding" on the Iranian side about international seriousness, the senior Western diplomat said, describing the Iranian negotiating posture as having "gone downhill" from some previous encounters.

Jalili did eventually meet Ashton Friday for 90 minutes, and held bilateral meetings with the Russians and Chinese delegations, before heading into a seven-nation meeting Friday that stretched 'til midnight.

Talks resumed Saturday morning between Iranian negotiators and the so-called Vienna Group, comprised of the United States, Russia and France, to discuss an updated nuclear fuel swap proposal. Diplomats later said they left the updated fuel swap proposal with the Iranian delegation and encouraged them to share it with their political leaders in Tehran, but the Iranian delegation did not give any indication if they planned to do so, Ashton said.

Diplomats from the seven countries also met for a final one-hour session Saturday during which Ashton told the Iranian delegation she hopes they go home and think about what "pragmatic" proposals she had presented, and told them that the door remains open if they become ready to talk about them in the future. But the P5+1 deliberately did not set another date for future talks, in an apparent attempt to signal Iran that the international group is determined to see real progress.

"I think it’s essential to test the proposition that the Iranians might be interested in a diplomatic resolution" to international concerns about its nuclear program, the senior U.S. administration official said. "How they react to that over time -- we will just have to see."

“It appears that this was a case of Iranian overreach,” said Scott Peterson, Istanbul-based journalist and author of a new book on Iran, Let the Swords Encircle Me. “I think they have misread and misjudged the Americans and the P5+1 [believing] that the western side feels it must engage in talks under any circumstances.”

Reader Comments (22)

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The Iranians have said a million times they're going to enrich uranium no matter what anyone else thinks. Why don't people understand they don't need your approval and Russia is working with them. Even if they said they would stop they wouldn't because they see being a nuclear power as their national destiny. Kinda sucks to be the Great Satan or Israel when they do get the bomb because with them it's always "death to something".

If you don't deal with these type of countries head on straight down the middle They will end the world as we know it with their "nuclear technology". Any moron that thinks this peace loving theocracy would accept modern civilization and a place in the world community is in need of a psychiatrist. Many third world countries indoctrinate their children at islamic madrasah schools with inappropriate behavior and beliefs from a very young age. These children are brainwashed into a murderous homicidal belief system. Studies of these school systems revealed that not only did they preach hatred against Christians and Jews but the curriculum was "aggressively biased" toward one school of thought, completely disregarding the principles of dialogue and respect. The supply of these wacky muzzy drones is endless; our military will be in contain and control mode indefinitely.

If you don't deal with these type of countries head on straight down the middle They will end the world as we know it with their "nuclear technology". Any moron that thinks this peace loving theocracy would accept modern civilization and a place in the world community is in need of a psychiatrist. Many third world countries indoctrinate their children at islamic madrasah schools with inappropriate behavior and beliefs from a very young age. These children are brainwashed into a murderous homicidal belief system. Studies of these school systems revealed that not only did they preach hatred against Christians and Jews but the curriculum was "aggressively biased" toward one school of thought, completely disregarding the principles of dialogue and respect. The supply of these wacky muzzy drones is endless; our military will be in contain and control mode indefinitely.

NO SURPRISE HERE. Obama team philosophy fails once again, no pre-conditions equals no progress, period. Waste of time, energy, and most importantly the taxpayers money. Better use of our money would be for the Democrat President, and his party to actually reconsider their positions on the matter, compromise, and make another another run at some kind of Energy Bill. The immediate safety, security, and, economic future of our beloved country depend on it. A serious move toward American Energy Independence says very loudly to our enemies abroad, “Don’t Trend on Me”!

I am shocked! This can't be true. The talks were going so well.Not.The iranians are playing the west like a cheap fiddle and obama and the west are too stupid to know it.But don't depair.The evil Israelis will bail your sorry butts out as well as the middle eastern countries when the time comes.
Virgi, the iranians don't have the right to threaten to wipe another country off the face of the earth.

So funny and hypocrit these talks... While the P5 together have enough nukes to blow up our beautiful planet 100 times over and over again. Iran only wants to develop nuclear energy like the other 35 nations in the world.
If the P5 wants to stop the spread of nukes and more insight, they should look closer and they will find a nation who already has nukes without signing the NPT Treaty and without overseight form the IAEA organization. What can you do about it

Bravo, dont give up Iran. Who says nuclear tech is for some and not Iran. Infact you should share it to as many countries as you can. Let the west drown in their bubble economies. Forget about talk its a waste of time and money concentrate on real thing, the western threats are just imaginary.

always amazed by people assuming iran is enriching u for nukes ... reality is there is no evidence they have enriched u to over 20% ... 20% enriched u does not make a nuke but does create the fuel for high end reactors ... as long as they don't enrich over 20% there should be minimal concern once over that it becomes fairly certain what their intentions are so join the real world and real science before condemning them

It looks like the " feisty " English women was not successful this time to tame the Persians - Better luck next time !
( "This is not the conclusion I'd hoped for," European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said at the end of the talks in Istanbul on Saturday. "I am disappointed." ) .

Leftists far and wide won't be happy until Iran detonates their first test nuke. Everyone deserves it in a Leftists mind. The problem is of course, that a Leftist is unable to see far enough past the end of their noses to understand that an above ground test will most likely be in a major US harbor in the near future.......

The free world is one step closer to get: Chase mate.
Persians–clever people-(today Iranians) invented the Chess.
The winner of the game has to be a master advance planning master of many moves and misleading the opponent
The global Islamic terrorism will get NUK immunity and flourish.
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The Iran theocratic play with the free world.
Iran builds atomic bomb infrastructure and long range missiles covering the globe.
Iran gets more time needed to complete their plan.
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Conclusions:
Iran theocratic regime will build the Atomic bomb and long range missiles.
Iran Islamists claim:
*USA = big satin.
*End of democracy
*Deny human rights
*Main terror supporter.
*Islamism will get a huge bust
The democratic countries will produce papers analyzing how the time window needed to stop Iran theocrats thread to 21 century values was lost.
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Under the non leadership of President OBAMA '" the Change";
N. Korea militarism march as never before.
The Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan march as never before.
Christians are on the run in all M. East countries.
The Iranian people that tried to replace the Islamist regime didn’t get USA support

For an alternative analysis of why the recent nuclear talks between Iran and the West failed in Istanbul, read the article below!
http://www.irandiplomacywatch.com/2011/01/iran-p-51-nuclear-talks-conclude-in.html?utm_source=BP_recent

I am glad that Iran is doing something about their energy security. I wish we do something about our energy security. we do a lot of preaching, no practice. If iran is a theocratic state, what is Israel.I personally do not like nuclear weapons, but whoever has the technology is making them. I do not understand why you are for Israel to have nukes and not Iran. Iran is surrounded by 5 nuclear powers and may be they think that they have legitimate security concerns for their people. Be objective about the subject, rather than blowing hot air.

ray ray, if the weasel faced leader can bring about total destruction then he can usher in the 12th Imam. I may not believe it, you probably don't even understand it. But believe me, the weasel believes it with all his heart and soul. And is willing to destroy the world if need be. We in the West have no understand of such zealotry, but it is pure and simple life to those in the middle east. ***********************fratto joe? Iran attacks the US in Iraq and Aghanistan every day. They also wage war on a continuous basis against Israel every single day throught their 'proxies'. You may be happy with their ultimate goal as it is very close to what Leftists want too. The utter destruction and annihilation of Israel AND America. Their goal is wiping the two countries off the face of the earth.